Jared

Urban Wolves, Book 1

By: Leona Windwalker

Narrated by: Randi Johnson

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Jared just wanted to celebrate his birthday and make new friends, but he quickly finds that clubbing can be dangerous. In fact, the whole world is a different place than he thought it was. 

Werewolves, vampires, and faeries turn out to be all too real. Front and center of it is Steven Chang - alpha heir and all-round good guy. He says Jared's his mate. It's all a bit much for Jared to process, but maybe it'll all be okay as Steve says he's willing to date first. For a while, anyway.

Jared just hopes it's long enough to wrap his head around it all, hopefully without getting disappeared by the mysterious men in suits or anything weirder happening.

©2016 Leona Windwalker (P)2020 Leona Windwalker

WOW

I love love love this book,, it will be one I go back to read and re read over and over. I enjoyed the premise of the story and the development of the characters and story line. Randi Johnson did a fantastic job with the narration, I love how he can make the characters come to live,I can't wait for the next book in the series I hope I can get them all.

So much going on...

I was very excited to listen to this book. Randi Johnson is one of the narrators I like listening to and this is my first Leona Windwalker book.

The book had a very promising start.. alpha coming to rescue his mate.. having to explain a new different world to his human mate.. it was going well.. up until the point where there was just SO much going on. I was still following it, I understand it was essential to the world building. What became problematic for me was how Jared’s character was written. Yes, he was victimized. Tried to overcome the trauma, but didn’t get the appropriate help for it. THEN when he’s been gifted the magic of growing his own fangs and claws to protect himself, he instead froze and be victimized again, needing rescuing. There was no fierce paternal instinct to protect the young, no using the magic given to protect himself from two criminals. He didn’t even put up a fight. It was a very disheartening scene. There was no redemption from being a victim to being a survivor and confronting his demons. I was able to put up with his whining and incessantly fitting the shifters world into his own human world and sounding so spoiled. But I couldn’t get past that he didn’t get the chance to fight his own struggles. He didn’t even get to see a therapist. Let’s not even talk about how it became mpreg all of a sudden. Also, if I get a penny every time the line "Best be.." has been said by different characters, I'd be able to buy a different line that's similar but not overused.

Maybe the next books of this series will be so much better.

Strangely flat

The narrator does a decent job, but the contrast between the explicit rape scene and the lackluster romance is just too much. Not hot, not engaging, just disappointing.

I love this!

I can't believe it but I REALLY LOVE this book. It was so funny and cute. Totally not my normal kind of book. When I first figured out what it was about I thought, "Oh God...," But I really did love it. The narrator did an awesome job. I honestly can't believe that it is the same guy the whole time. I can't wait for the next book! I am already a fan!

This book was given to me at my request. *Thanx StoryOriginapp* I am providing a voluntary and honest review.

I Love It!!

I enjoyed this book from start to finish, Although the rape scene was hard to listen to, once I got past it I enjoyed Jared. Leona Windwalker did a great job creating a unique world and Randi Johnson's narration was excellent.

Jared

Mpreg…
Other than the Mpreg stuff I liked this book.
I wasn’t a fan of the rape scenes but it did give context to the rest of the book.
I loved when Jared and Steven come together it’s a slow burn kind of love they let Jared heal and come to terms with things.
Jared is a human and Steven is a Alpha shifter who finds his mate. I like that he explains everything in a way that well it does freak him out but doesn’t scare him off.

The stuff in the other is a little confusing and sometimes I wondered if we were there or here. But overall I enjoyed the book.

I liked the narration, Randi Johnson gives each character a voice without over doing it and that is always a good thing.

Spoiler alert

I'm so sorry to say this but I'm so glad the bad guys were caught. This was a good story, you got to learn everything as Jared did. And Jared seriously played the "female" male role really well. Now I have to find the next book (I hate cliffhangers, ugh) it will be OK.

The narrator did an excellent job depicting each character and their personallity as well.

Too Sappy to Finish

Okay story but a bit sappy. The narrator keeps the characters well defined and separate. Unfortunately to do this some of the voices are a bit overcooked.

Paranormal Urban Wolf Shifter Series!

Jared, a human, is rescued by Steve Chang, a wolf shifter, after a brutal assault. He wakes up to discover he’s stumbled into a totally new paranormal world he thought only existed in the movies. This is an interesting new twist on finding your true mate that combines humans with wolf shifters, Mpreg, shapeshifters, Fae, and vampires in an urban setting.

Warning contains violence and some graphic scenes. Overall I enjoyed the unique storyline and intriguing characters. It does have a HEA ending. Enjoy!

I received a free audible copy and am happy to leave my honest review.

A Good Series Beginning!

Jared
MMy Thoughts and Review:

This was my first novel by Windwalker even though I have been a "stalker" via newsletter and social media for a few months now. When an audio ARC for JARED came down the pike, it seemed too good a chance to let slip by. It ticked so many of my happy boxes it was a bit of a no-brainer.

Now, things you need to know. This book will NOT, I repeat, will NOT be for the faint of heart. There is a fairly explicit rape/ assault scene in the beginning. It is from this scene that our MCs find each other. I see this as a silver lining, and not something to turn from or be upset by.
You should also know the human attacked is an amazing character created by the author to show the strength and perseverance inside each of us. This is not to be Jared's last shock, nor will it be Jared's last attack. Each time, however, the reader gets to experience Jared's rise back to his feet. Either on his own, or with the help of his new friends or his mate, Steve, and his found family by his side, Jared learns he is never on this journey through life alone.

This is a shifter Omegaverse with Mpreg. There are also fae, vampires, and Jared is still waiting on his answer to Big Foot.😁

Some survivors, not all, but some survivors of rape, (like me) find this kind of story cathartic. We get to face our monsters that tend to stay hidden in the dark, and for a lot of us, we get a form of justice, even if it's a fictional one. We also get our HEA, and in the end, isn't that what we are all chasing?

Windwalker left this open for more in the PNR series genre.

The Story: 4.5🌟
The Narration: 4.00🌟
Sharonica Stars:4.25🌟

I received an audio copy of this book from the author in exchange for MMy review.☔

Narration could have been better

Narration could have been better but it wasn't the worse I have heard. The book is well written and the character are well developed. Even though the author gave a warning I still couldnt get past the brutal meet cute.

Spoiler Alert.


It was just too much for meet to read the same rape scene twice from two different angels. It was long drawn out and blow by blow. I was so disgusted that I did not want the couple to be together. I wanted the victim Jared to just get help and not worry about the stress of dating someone or falling in love. I couldn't give it a chance because it was too heavy and in excess and ruined the meet cute for the couple in my eyes. I wasn't vested in them as a couple although I liked them as characters. Yes I could have skipped the scenes but I am a reader thats wants every single word. and because I am not invested in them as a couple I had no motivation to keep going.

But the authors writing skill are exceptional and the fact that scene was so awful and painful shows just how talented the author is because you are so immersed into the scene that its feels like you are being assaulted. So drop me in the scene that deep with just words despite having not so good narrator says that the author is a great writer. Talented.

4/5 stars because even though everything else was great the rape meet cute made the romance cringy. Also the author warns you beforehand so if you can't handle it then you only have yourself to blame. I thought I could hang but I had to tap out.


If you can get past graphic rape scene and overprotective alpha's are you thing then this is book for you.

Really didn't find it worth finishing

I found i really couldnt get into this book and turned it off about half way through.
The main male human character was way too whiny and just generally annoying. I'm not 100% sure however if the narrator just made it sound worse than the actual story was. But yer i could not finish this book.

as good as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. Randi Johnson is one of the top 3 narrators (so far) for me, I can listen without break and have no problems to follow. And really, his SEXY VOICE is something you DON'T want to miss!!
I'm just not yet finish with the book, just over the half, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

wonderful

a fantastic audiobook with a bit of gay sex. Really well written by Leona Windwalker and narrated by Randi Johnson xxxx

Amazing book

I Enjoyed this audio book very much from start to finish great story line too

I enjoyed the story but not so much the narration

I gave this rating purely for the fact that it was an unusual take on the normal paranormal genre. The way the human MC took to being introduced to the hidden world of supernatural creatures such as shifters and vampires was well thought out and portrayed. The way the shifters teased him about the stuff he doesn't yet know was done in a kind way and came across that way. In fact the story was mostly good. The constant jumping into what felt like someone else's story every couple of chapters did detract from my enjoyment, as did the narrators style. He had this weird way of saying words in such a way they made no sense to me. For example Faerie was said as Fare Ree where as I tend to hear and say it as Fare ee. There were a lot more like this that really made it difficult to stay in the story. If the narrator had done a better job I think it might have got a higher rating.

A pleasant read

Story as expected with no surprises, but keep my interest till the end. The narration was excellent.

Mostly pleasant but didn’t quite gel for me

Jared find himself fated to be the mate of a wolf shifter who is the alpha-in-waiting. He also soon finds himself pregnant. Windwalker has created a complex fantasy world with humans, shifters, fairies, vampires, and others, and in an effort to paint this complex world, I felt we got too much irrelevant fantasy knowledge and trivia at the expense of the story. The two unsettling rape scenes which bookend the story were at odds with the overall tone of the book which is light, fluffy and benign, focussing mostly on world-building, banter, minor story arcs, and getting ready for the baby. It felt like the author couldn’t quite decide whether to focus on the MPREG, fantasy / supernatural, or hurt / comfort tropes so didn’t quite cover off on any of them. Randi Johnson narrates extremely well, he has the perfect voice for epic blockbusters so suited the fantasy / supernatural trope; I think he’s a little wasted on fluffy MPREG tropes.

Steve and Jared

Jared a human, went to a club to celebrate his birthday hoping to make new friends, but his two new "friends" attack him and leave him in an alley where he is found by Steve. Steve is a shifter, he's destined to become the Alpha of his pack as soon as he finds his Mate.

Steve never expected to find his mate in an alley beaten and bloody, nor did he think his mate would be human or male - but that's OK he's more than happy with Jared. But for Jared, there are a lot of adjustments to make, who knew that shifters, vampires, and faeries existed it's a lot to get his head around so he asks Steve if they can take it slow and get to know each other before he commits to this new world he's just been introduced to. Steve says he's willing to date first. For a while, anyway.

I enjoyed this story although it did end with many unanswered questions, I will just have to listen to the next book and hope for more answers.

The narration of this book was very well done, I enjoyed how Randi Johnson brought each character to life, he has a way of narrating which adds that little bit extra to any book he narrated.

I was given this audiobook as a gift and am voluntarily writing my review.

Great emotion from Randi

Wow, this book is so raw. It’s written very well, however you can tell that Randi gives his everything to his performance. It’s a delicate storyline that has been handled by both author and narrator absolutely perfectly. I wish there was more stars for performance as I “felt” the emotion from Randi. Highly recommend.